Number of marriages falls to record low in 2017

2018/03/21 12:00

Article View Option

SNS Share

SEJONG, March 21 (Yonhap) -- The number of South Koreans getting married fell to the lowest level in 2017, government data showed Wednesday, as young people delay marriage amid a prolonged economic slowdown.

The number of people tying the knot came to 264,500 in 2017, down 6.1 percent, or 17,200, from a year earlier, according to Statistics Korea. The figure is the lowest since 1970, when related data began to be compiled.

Many young South Koreans are seen as delaying marriage as they cannot find good paying employment amid a tough job market.

The data showed that the average age of South Korean men getting married reached a record high of 32.9 years in 2017, compared with 31 years in 2006.

It also showed that the average marrying age of first-time brides stood at 30.2 years in 2017, up from 27.8 years in 2006.

The statistics office said the number of South Koreans marrying a foreign spouse came to some 20,800 in 2017, up 1.2 percent from a year earlier, snapping a streak of six consecutive years of on-year decline.

Meanwhile, the data showed the number of divorces reached 106,000 in 2017, a 1.2 percent decline from the previous year.